Two Catholic parishes in Overbrook will merge effective February 24, reports the Inquirer. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced that Saint Donato Parish would become part of Our Lady of Lourdes because it did not see Saint Donato as “self-sustainable.” Since 2011 the Archdiocese has closed or merged 15 parishes as part of an ongoing strategic shrink based on dwindling mass attendance.

The Amtrak line between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg could be axed this fall, reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. PennDOT would have to start subsidizing the western segment of the Pennsylvanian route at $5.7 million per year starting in October. Ridership is low on this segment because trains cannot travel fast enough to beat driving times. For service to be more attractive to prospective passengers, major track and equipment upgrades would be required. Should this segment disappear, Pittsburgh would have no rail connection to Philadelphia or New York, with only a Chicago-to-DC route stopping there. "It is a struggle for me to want to pay for that service," PennDOT deputy secretary Toby Fauver told the Wall Street Journal recently.